Remind review

Remind is a messaging app that lets teachers text students and families without sharing their personal phone numbers. Families can use the app or plain SMS, so a parent with an old phone and no data plan still gets the message and can reply. Teachers in American schools have used it since the early 2010s, especially in middle and high school. Since ParentSquare bought Remind, announced in December 2023, the product has narrowed. The free Remind Chat plan remains for teachers, coaches and individuals, while schools and districts that want a full communication platform are now pointed toward ParentSquare.

Who it’s for

Remind Chat suits individual teachers, coaches and club advisors in US schools who need to reach a group quickly. A high school track coach can text the whole team that practice moved indoors, and every athlete and parent gets it in a few seconds, whether they have the app or not. It also suits teachers who want to send short reminders about tests, field trip forms or late work. It is not the right choice for a school or district that wants one system for every teacher, attendance alerts and emergency notifications. Remind itself now points those customers to ParentSquare.

What it does well

SMS is the reason to use it. Families can join a class by texting the class code to 81010, and they can reply by text. You don’t need every family to install an app, which matters in communities where not everyone has a smartphone or a data plan. Remind’s trust page says it offers two-way texting and phone calls without sharing phone numbers, so you never give out your cell number and students never give out theirs.

Remind says Chat translates messages automatically into more than 90 languages. A teacher can write in English and a parent can read in Spanish, Vietnamese or Arabic, then reply in their own language.

Setup takes minutes. You create a class, share the code or a link, and start messaging. You can schedule announcements, so a reminder about Monday’s quiz goes out on Sunday evening without you being at your desk.

Where it falls short

The free plan has limits. Remind’s help center says Chat users can own or co-own up to 10 classes, with up to 150 participants per class. That is enough for most teachers, but a band director with a large program or a counselor who wants to reach a whole grade will hit the cap.

The bigger question is Remind’s future in schools. Remind’s site now describes Remind Hub, its paid organization plan, as a product for organizations outside K-12 districts, and it links Hub customers to a transition path to ParentSquare. If your district already uses ParentSquare or plans to, you may be asked to move your class communication there. Check your district’s policy before you build a year of routines around Remind.

Students under 13 face extra rules. Remind’s help center says they can only join classes owned by a teacher and linked to a school, they must give a parent’s details when they sign up, and they can’t join classes outside the United States. For elementary grades, plan on adding parents instead of students.

Messaging apps make it easy for families to expect instant replies, so tell families when you will and won’t answer. Our guide to writing a parent communication policy covers this.

Families may pay standard text messaging fees from their carrier, which Remind’s help center notes.

Pricing

Remind Chat is free for teachers and individuals. Remind Hub, the paid plan for organizations, has no published price. Remind asks interested organizations to contact sales, and it lists voice calls as a paid add-on. When we checked in November 2026, Remind’s plans page showed no prices.

Privacy and data

Remind’s trust page says it has no ads and never shares user information with advertisers or marketers. Remind says it holds iKeepSafe FERPA certification, is part of the iKeepSafe COPPA Safe Harbor program and has the iKeepSafe California Student Privacy badge. The page also lists FERPA, COPPA and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act among the rules it follows. Since the acquisition, Remind’s terms point users to the ParentSquare privacy policy and ParentSquare SMS terms, so read those documents too before your school approves the app.

Verdict

Remind is still one of the simplest ways for a US teacher or coach to text a group of students and families, and SMS replies and translation make it work for families other apps miss. The free Chat plan covers most individual teachers. Schools and districts looking for a single platform should evaluate ParentSquare, and elementary teachers who want photos and behavior updates alongside messages may prefer ClassDojo. See all options in our parent communication rankings.

See the best Remind alternatives